


Limits

by Thymelady



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Abbie's POV, Almost Kiss, F/M, Missing Scene, Touch, Unresolved Sexual Tension, if only, platonic my ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 18:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6436342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thymelady/pseuds/Thymelady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abbie wonders why Crane's face seems to be out of limits for her touch. Teasing ficlet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Limits

**Author's Note:**

> Plot bunny got the better of me. 3.17 made me wonder about this.

He always reacted when she touched him. She always reacted to his touch as well, but he was the absolute worst at hiding it. He always welcomed it. Except for when she streched out to touch his face. She had managed some occasional pat on his bearded cheek. But he always somehow deflected her hands when they moved to his face. She wondered about it. The small devil inside her head, one that she couldn't always shut down, said that he ought to want her hands caressing his face. But no, that seemed to be the limit for Crane. No attempts to kiss cheeks. She couldn't just lean against his cheek or reach out, he was too tall for that, except when they were sitting down. 

After Moloch had been killed, he had shouted her name and crawled over to her. Grabbing her. Grabbing her wrists in order to stop her hands from feeling if he was real, if they really were alive, from cupping his face. She occasionally wiped food from his moustache, and he reacted as if she had done something shocking even by her standards. 

When she nagged him about the dentist, she fleetingly wondered if he was suffering from a broken tooth or something. Not that he ever complained about it, and his teeth were fine. When she had cradled his head in his arms and she feared of losing him, it was as if her hands on his face - touching him, removing hair strands, stroking lovingly - made him pass out. 

It seemed... personal. Sometimes when they hugged, he held her so tight and earth-shatteringly tender, while she felt his face burrow into the crook of her neck. He never held her long when he did that. It was as if it burned him. 

Whenever she had the chance of wiping his moustache free from some crumbles or foam from the coffee, she felt a sort of evil satisfaction. She always extended her hand instinctively and jumped by his reaction. It was a powerful thing that she could affect him so.

Abbie pushed it away. Filed it, compartmentalised it, as she did with all his signs of endearment. 

Then came the time they were examining a supernatural place. Some sort of force was released and it flew straight through him. She saw him falling to his knees next to her, and she heard his rasping breath. She hated that sort of breath, it told her that is was bad. She fell to her knees in front of him and instinctively grabbed his arms.

"I'm alright, Lieutenant!" he gasped. 

"You sure, Crane?" she had to ask. 

He nodded, looking down and his hair fell forward in that boyish manner. She saw that he was affected by what had happened, still not himself. Without even thinking about it, her hand streched out and pushed back his hair, then caressed him from his tall forehead, his temple, cheek and over the beard. 

Crane made a sound of real pain. His frown deepened as he turned his head in her small hand, and his lips were against her palm, caressing. It was like an electric shock through her, and the next moment she felt his hot, desperate kiss on the sensitive skin inside of her palm. Not quite the kind of gentlemanly kiss on the hand she had expected from him. The touch of his lips made her body tremble. His large hand cradled her small one and he showed no sign of stopping the kissing. She felt his irregular breath on her hand. Blood was rushing in her ears. Her other hand went up and cupped his other cheek and the moan he emitted was raw.

He opened his eyes and met hers, burning into her with dark pupils and a sliver of blue left of his irises. His lips let go of her hand, but his other hand was suddenly cradling her jaw and lightly yanking her forward, closer. Yes, his face betrayed that he was in pain. The pain of his lips not touching hers. She gasped and moved closer by her own will. He licked his lips and she tilted her head just so... 

"Abbie? Crane?" Jenny shouted from another room. They jumped apart. Crane was on his feet quickly, pulling her up on her feet without even asking. He moved too fast for her, she couldn't see his face. Then again, she didn't have to. His posture, the way he cleared his throat and stepped away told her everything. He spun on his heal and she only saw his back as he bolted from her presence. 

_You just had to find out, didn't you? Well, now you know. Now you know, Abbie._

And so did he.


End file.
